In recent years, virtual reality technology has been generally known and utilized to implement computer interfaces for certain computer software applications such as computer games and other Internet and World Wide Web applications. However, there exists a continuing need to provide users with integrated, interactive, easy-to-use, creative and highly personalized virtual reality computer environments which may be utilized as high-level user interfaces for various personal, business and collaborative tasks.
To address this problem, the computer software industry is developing virtual reality computer programs that provide virtual reality environments which can be shared by a number of users. Known examples of such programs include Internet-based virtual reality network games and public chat portals which are typically provided from a remote dedicated virtual reality server accessible from the user or client computers via the Internet global communication network. The interactions between remote server and client computers are carried out by TCP/IP protocol. Under this protocol, the client computers have the required and appropriate client software installed and running before they interact or communicate with the server. In general, all static data for providing the virtual environment is stored locally on the client computer. The locally stored data includes, for example, graphics, three dimensional object models and the client software. Such data architecture enables a relatively large number of participants to act and communicate simultaneously in a virtual reality environment since the amount of data transferred over the Internet during network sessions is significantly reduced. However, the centralized hosting model significantly restricts the user's possible actions within such virtual environments because such publicly hosted virtual environments cannot be effectively modified by users according to their personal and specific needs.
The success of virtual reality technology also has impacted change on the World Wide Web (“Web”) which is a widely used communication and information resource network that is built on or over the Internet infrastructure. Users access the Web with the assistance of software programs, usually called Web browsers, which in turn communicate with remotely hosted Web server software by high level HTTP communication protocol. This protocol uses Internet TCP/IP as an underlying transport protocol.
The Web includes conventional web sites such as flat or two-dimensional pages containing text and pictures as provided by Web browsers, and a growing number of virtual reality capable Web sites (also known as Virtual Worlds). Such virtual reality environments are typically described by Virtual Reality Markup Language (“VRML”). VRML data files are stored at Web servers and then downloaded and interpreted by Web browsers similar to regular HTML documents. Additional functionality for VRML environments, as is the case with HTML, is provided by Web browser scripting capabilities. The disadvantages of such Web-based virtual reality environments are, for example, the stateless model, relatively low graphic quality and the lack of interactivity due to certain restrictions of known Web technology.
For example, certain Virtual World data is stored remotely and generally must be downloaded to a client computer each time a user accesses a web server. The amount of such data cannot be substantial due to the typically low speed of data transfer over the Internet. This significantly restricts graphics quality, since graphic textures are required to remain small and simple in order to be effectively compressed and transmitted. The same is true for other data components of Virtual Worlds such as VRML files and supporting scripts.
In addition, users have no ability to modify such Virtual World environments in a persistent or consistent manner since all changes are usually restricted to a session scope and not stored permanently. As a result, Virtual Worlds on the Web, in most cases, are relatively small and have poor functionality, and therefore are not being optimally utilized. Existing Virtual Worlds on the Web cannot represent or reflect the reality of changes to an environment.
Known virtual reality technology has also gained popularity in other computer software applications such as organizing user data. Several computer software applications such as virtual desktop extenders and virtual desktops are commercially available. These applications utilize 3D. environments to store and manage user files and programs. Such desktops are implemented as graphic shells over an underlying file system and typically provide computer file resources within some pre-defined 3D virtual workspace. They can also allow an “in-place” preview of selected World Wide Web contents without leaving the 3D environment, such as launching a stand-alone Web browser application. Unlike the previously discussed Internet-based applications (i.e., publicly shared virtual reality environments) virtual desktops represent a class of personal, locally stored and hosted virtual reality environments which do not provide user-to-user interaction within a public virtual reality environment.
Known planning and design programs also utilize virtual reality interfaces, for example, for interior as well as landscape planning and design. However, their functionality is generally limited to navigation and controlling movement/predesignated graphics viewed on a computer screen.
A problem with implementing networked virtual reality computer environments relates to the existing communication methods between online users in the virtual reality environments. Known multi-user virtual reality communication applications use publicly shared three-dimensional environments as a communication media and are traditionally implemented on a client-server platform. Within this architectural framework, virtual environments are hosted on a dedicated central server wherein users access and connect to the server as clients and represent themselves within the environment as animated characters or avatars. An example of such a network is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,038.
Communication between users within such environments requires the corresponding central virtual reality server to be up and running and to have sufficient capacity to handle such communications. Moreover, for security reasons, users typically have restricted access rights to remotely hosted virtual environments wherein the session participants do not have complete control over the access rights, such as rights to add or remove objects, run applications or other like access rights. For example, in existing public chat portals, typical actions are restricted to user avatar movements and chat function. This significantly restricts user capability to share visual and other information during a communication session since the content and functionality of centrally hosted virtual reality environments is not capable of providing all possible needs or goals of each particular session.
Another problem with existing networked virtual computer environments relates to data traffic limitations in publicly shared virtual reality environments. When utilizing a conventional dedicated central server, there is a limit to the number of users that can concurrently access the server. This limit exists both for the server and the clients and in part depends on the network connection bandwidth. The amount of data transferred between the server and a particular client is also proportional to the number of all connected clients. For the server, this amount is proportional to the square of this number. As the number of users increases, the rate of data transmission can be effectively decreased. In addition, an increased number of users can also result in a situation where new users may not be able to access the shared or public virtual environment.
In many cases, however, users access the public virtual reality environments to only communicate with other known users, for example, users on a personal contact list. In addition, certain users access public virtual reality environments to perform certain personal tasks and not to communicate with other users. For example, users can visit a number of public virtual environments, such as virtual shops, libraries or the like, analogous to how users can visit different Internet locations during conventional Web page browsing.
A further problem with existing networked virtual reality environments relates to how users can move from one virtual reality environment to the next. The process of user transition from one virtual reality environment to another is referred to as a “teleportation.” In general, this process is implemented by utilizing hyperlinks, destination lists and direct user input. During teleportation, the user typically remains idle and, in fact, beyond connection to any virtual environment. In other words, teleportation, as generally known and used, does not provide continuous networked communication. In addition, known teleportation may require substantial time depending on the network connection bandwidth and the amount of data to be transferred to a client computer. Moreover, teleportation is typically applied to one particular user at a time, that is, it does not support joint and synchronous transition of several users from one virtual environment to another.
The present invention recognizes the above-described problems and the overall need to provide users with an integrated, easy-to-use, creative and highly personalized virtual reality computer environment and accordingly recognizes a need for a virtual reality computer environment with the capabilities, for example, to effectively represent and manage computer informational resources, to establish interactive network communication and to simulate and control external environments.